Parenting 101: How is Your Parenting Style Affecting Your Child’s Development

Parenting is a journey of joy, love, and profound responsibilities.

It’s a journey you are never fully prepared for and no article or manual can be good and detailed enough to ensure a 100% success rate.

All you do is make your way through, do your best, and hope that at the end of the day, you have shaped your little humans into amazing social beings who will be able to conquer this world.

However, even as you figure it out it is important to note that whatever parenting style you choose to adopt, it could in the end affect your child’s development in some way.

In this article, we seek to dig deep into the various styles of parenting and their potential impact on children. Maybe then you as a parent can be in a position to figure out what parenting style best suits your desired outcome for your children.

[convertkit_formtrigger form=”5662689″ text=”Subscribe” background_color=”#dd890b” text_color=”#000000″]

The Basics of Parenting Styles

Parental styles are a concept defined in the 1900s by psychologists to define the various approaches that parents adopt as they raise their children. 

We will discuss four parenting styles: Authoritative, Authoritarian, Permissive, and Uninvolved https://shorturl.at/ltASZ. 

Nonetheless, this post is not meant to push any approach as better than the other.

Instead, we seek to help you define your own system in the hope that in future you can be well-equipped to make conscious parenting decisions in an effort to raise well-rounded individuals.

The Authoritative Approach

An authoritative parent creates a balance between firmness and nurturing.

They will create a relationship with their children by being involved while still maintaining rules and boundaries. Children are made aware of what is expected of them, failure to which there are consequences. 

This parent remains in charge but creates room for the children to interact with them and have an opinion on issues that affect them without being too entitled.

It’s effect on child development

This home setup nurtures confidence in a child, they tend to be independent in a social setup  as they have problem-solving and decision-making skills 

A child’s self-esteem is well built as they have learned to believe in their own capabilities and also to voice out their thoughts.

This child will respect authority since there is a healthy and clear relationship between themselves and the authority figures in their lives. They find their parents to be dependable and will endeavor not to let them down.

The Authoritarian Approach

This is a military home kind of setup, the rules are strict and the expectations are high.

The parent is always in charge ensuring they enforce the high expected demands.

The children have no right to negotiate or expect explanations and they have to adhere to all the rules to avoid punishments. 

It’s effect on child development

A Child from this home becomes dependent on rules to function.

They prefer the familiar setup where they know what is required of them and they always ensure they work within the scope of the rules to perfection.

The children can be socially awkward as they have not figured out their own sense of individuality. They have learned to do and say what is expected of them not what they think, which limits their flexibility.

The child can be vulnerable as they are not accustomed to standing up for themselves. They may also be resentful towards their parents as they at times feel unloved and any chance to be away from home is a breath of fresh air.

The Permissive Approach

This is a friendly parenting approach, where the parent is easygoing with an open door policy. Children are given the opportunity to figure things out for themselves and not many rules are imposed.

This parenting approach is quite common in modern society, where parents believe freedom creates room for creativity.

However, the leniency in the enforcement of discipline allows the child to get away with a lot of bad behavior which could be a problem in the future.

It’s effect on child development

This environment creates very friendly and socially extroverted children, they have learned how to be independent and creative.

Self-esteem is nurtured as this child believes in their own capability and is not used to anyone questioning their choices.

However, this method of parenting increases the risk of adopting unhealthy behaviors and a lack of discipline. The child can be demanding, selfish, and too self-entitled as they have always had things done their way

The Uninvolved Approach

An involved parent is the clear definition of being a parent without actually being a parent. 

They are extremely detached, only doing the bare minimum which basically means providing the basic needs. They can be detached from their children emotionally and even physically. 

They provide no form of discipline, expectations, nurturing, or even opinion about their child’s life.

It’s effect on child development

A child from this home will grow up feeling unappreciated and unwanted.

The children learn to be self-sufficient as they have had to do most things for themselves and have no expectations of their parents.

This child can grow up to be emotionally unavailable and detached as they had no form of nurturing to understand emotional connections and trust.

Finding the Balance

As parents, there is a need to understand that children are different even as siblings. As you figure out the parenting style that best works for you, pick one that translates to the utmost positive development of your child.

 Though Parenting has no manual there are parenting guidelines we encourage you to  consider:

Listen to your children, communicate, and encourage them to express themselves

Emotionally be present for your child and a support system for them.

Nurture their self-esteem, positive image, and self-reliance.

Discipline them, remember the saying spare the rod spoil the child

Importantly be a role model of responsibility, respect, and trust, let them learn by  sight

Regardless, be aware that whatever parenting style you choose, it will affect your child emotionally, socially, and cognitively. Learn how to raise money-smart kids https://bigsisterunfiltered.click/piggy-banks-tips-on-raising-money-smartkids/.

[convertkit_formtrigger form=”5662689″ text=”Subscribe” background_color=”#dd9323″ text_color=”#000000″]